इस / उस / इन / उन

This and That Before Postpositions

Level 2Sounds Like isa, usa, ina aura una

Before a postposition, यह becomes इस, वह becomes उस, ये becomes इन and वे becomes उन.

How It Works

Before a postposition, the words for this, that, these and those change:

PlainBefore a postpositionExample
यह (this)इसइस कमरे में
वह (that)उसउस दुकान से
ये (these)इनइन किताबों में
वे (those)उनउन लोगों के लिए

The noun changes too: यह कमरा becomes इस कमरे में, and वे लड़के becomes उन लड़कों को. Feminine singular nouns do not change, so only the first word does: यह किताब, इस किताब में.

The same forms work as pronouns meaning him, her, it or them. A short postposition is written joined to them: इसमें (in this), उसका (his or her), उनसे (from them). Longer postpositions stay separate: उसके लिए, इनके साथ. With को they usually shorten: इसे, उसे, इन्हें, उन्हें.

उन and उनका also refer politely to one person: उनका नाम क्या है? In speech, वह and वे are often said वो, but before a postposition the forms are still उस and उन.

Examples (5)

  1. इस कमरे में बहुत रोशनी है।

    This room gets a lot of light.

    यह becomes इस and कमरा becomes कमरे before में.

  2. उस घर में कोई है।

    There's someone in that house.

    वह becomes उस; घर does not change in the singular.

  3. इन किताबों में तस्वीरें हैं।

    These books have pictures in them.

    ये becomes इन, and किताबें becomes किताबों.

  4. उन लड़कों को पानी चाहिए।

    Those boys need water.

    वे becomes उन, and लड़के becomes लड़कों.

  5. इसका दाम कितना है?

    How much does this cost?

    As a pronoun, इस joins with का: इसका, of this.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping यह or वह before a postposition.

    यह कमरे में कौन है?
    इस कमरे में कौन है?

    Before में, यह must become इस.

  • Changing only the first word.

    इस कमरा में कौन है?
    इस कमरे में कौन है?

    Both words change: इस and कमरे.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

इस / उस / इन / उनLevel 2This and That Before Postpositions

Learn This First

These are the postposition forms of this and that, so they follow the basic pronouns and the idea of a changed form.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

यहयहयेवह